Abbeville runs past Barnwell for state title

Friday

A combination of mistakes on offense and facing the daunting task of a smashmouth option offense proved too much for Barnwell in its quest for its first state title in 30 years.

Abbeville jumped to a big lead early and pounded out a 48-14 victory in the Class AA state championship Friday night at Benedict’s Charles W. Johnson Stadium.

“Win or lose down here tonight, I’m proud of these kids,” Abbeville coach Jamie Nickles said. “They’re just tremendous people. I’m really proud of the way they played tonight. The stage was not too big for them. They really played with a lot of emotion and a lot of focus.”

The Panthers stuck to their traditional formula of physicality up front to win the line of scrimmage, resulting in 329 rushing yards and posting 455 yards of offense.

That formula has helped produce four consecutive state titles for Abbeville (14-0), giving its senior class a clean sweep. It’s also the 10th title in program history.

Cortney Jackson rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns to lead Abbeville. Dominick Washington added 86 yards and a score, while J.D. Moore went 3 for 4 for 108 yards, added 60 rushing yards and totaled three touchdowns.

Barnwell (13-1) was bidding for its first state title since 1988 and appeared in a championship game for the first time since 1997.

Despite an early score on special teams for a tie at 7, the Warhorses fell behind and couldn’t keep up, resulting in the lowest point total this season for a team that averaged 44 per game.

Craig Pender went 13 for 32 for 146 yards, including five passes to Kaleil Johnson for 69 yards. Jamari Chisolm led on the ground with 79 yards.

“I’m proud of our kids, proud of our coaches,” Barnwell coach Dwayne Garrick said. “It’s been a great season for us. Tonight wasn’t our best effort by any means, but that’s no reflection on our program or our players or our coaches. I wish we would’ve had a better outcome tonight.”

Moore started the scoring on Abbeville's first drive by racing 22 yards to the end zone. Barnwell responded at 5:09 when Dallyon Creech returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown and tie at 7.

While Barnwell’s offense struggled to generate yardage based on missed blocks and dropped passes, Abbeville kept rolling with touchdown runs of 37 and 16 yards by Jackson.

The Panthers were close to pulling away before the half but fumbled at the 5-yard line. The Warhorses charged downfield but threw an interception at the 5, returned 95 yards for a score by David Cobb for a 28-7 halftime deficit.

The second half began in ominous fashion for Barnwell by giving up a 35-yard touchdown pass from Moore to JaBryan Sanders at 9:11 in the third. The onslaught continued when Washington punched in a short touchdown run for a 41-7 advantage.

Abbeville’s second long touchdown strike came at 1:42 in the third when Moore again hit Sanders for 68 yards and a 48-7 lead going to the fourth.

Barnwell’s lone offensive touchdown came on the final drive when Chisolm broke a 35-yard run with 30 seconds left.